Dru
by Death and the Dragon
Summary: New sum. Kurama's old lover, a blood demon, is back. Can Kurama protect her and her kids from the monster who tortured her for years? Can they stop him from taking over all 3 worlds?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Rescue

Kurama rushed down the long dark hallway. He had to get there. Who knew what was happening to her. A few dark thoughts entered his mind and he pushed forward, going as fast as his limited human body would take him. He stopped once he reached the end of the passage. He had two choices, go down the hall to his left or go down the stairs in front of him. He chose the stairs, using logic to determine the location of the dungeon he was looking for. Without another moment's hesitation, the redhead sprang down the steep, narrow stairs into the darkness.

Once Kurama reached the bottom of the stairs, he paused to let his eyes adjust to the limited light coming from the few torches lit along the walls. Once he could see relatively well, he saw that there was a line of doors on the wall to the left. Each was made of heavy wood and looked very worn. _"She must be in one of these. I have to hurry!"_ Kurama thought. He rushed to the first door and tried to open it. It was locked and didn't budge. "Great," he mumbled. He stepped back and then rammed into the door. It burst open with a cloud of dust and splinters.

"Dru! Dru, are you in here?" Kurama said as he waved away the dust to see. He looked around; there was no one in the room. "Damn it!" The redheaded kitsune went back out into the hall and tried the next door.

The next five doors were empty and Kurama was beginning to loose hope. _"What if she's not down here? What if I'm to late! No, I can't think like this. I need to stay focused. There's still one room left, hopefully she's in there."_ Kurama stood in front of the last door. He prayed that she was in there. If not then there was a high probability that she was already dead. Suddenly the smell of blood filled his nose. It smelt old, like someone had been bleeding for hours and it had finally dried. Without a second thought, his hand flew to the door handle and pushed. It wasn't locked, out of all seven doors this was the only one unlocked. Just his luck. He slowly pushed the door open. It was dark inside like all the others but he could still make out the shape of a person standing against the wall. Kurama grabbed a torch off the wall and returned to the room.

The kitsune gasped once the light filled the room. The person who he thought was standing against the wall was Dru, but she wasn't standing. Held up against the wall with giant metal steaks through her hands and feet was his love. Naked in all her glory, her thigh length raven black hair fell around her face, obscuring it from the world. Her head was down as if she were bowing to him. Blood stained her once white skin a dark red as it trailed down her arms and body. Wait a second; her arms were still bleeding. That meant she was still alive! Once this realization hit, he rushed into the room.

The first thought that entered his mind was how sorry he was for letting this happen to her and how to get her down. Upon further inspection he realized that there were thin metal wires wrapped around her arms to hold her up. Because the steaks were through her hands and not her wrists as usual for crucifixion, wires had been placed on her arms to support her weight so the steaks wouldn't be ripped from her hands by the force of her body. He pulled a seed from his hair and used his power to turn it into a knife like leaf. He cut the wires while forcing Dru against the wall so she wouldn't fall. Then he removed the steak from her feet, followed by the ones in her hands. She fell against his body and he was relieved to fell her shallow breathing. He removed his uniform top and placed it around her shoulders trying to give her some form of modesty. He didn't think she would be very happy to wake up naked with four men around her, no matter how much she loved one of them.

A low moan resounded through the stone room and it took Kurama a second to realize that it hadn't come from Dru, there was someone else in the room with them. He looked around the room and spotted another body in the corner. Carefully he approached, carrying Dru with her head resting on his shoulder. After taking a few steps, the body was visible. It was a young boy, probably in his mid to late teens, with short white hair curled around a younger child with black hair. The boy moaned again as the light was shinned on his face. He opened one golden eye and peered up at the strange man holding a torch in his face.

Upon seeing Dru in the strange man's arms, memories from his life came flooding to the front of his mind, memories of all the times someone came to their room. They were always filled with pain, not only for himself but his mother to. Especially her. "Get away from my mother." The boy growled out through clenched teeth. His head was pounding and the slightest movement made it unbearable.

"Your mother?" the man said stunned. What did the boy mean _his mother_?

"Yes my mother, now leave her alone. Haven't you people tortured us enough?" the boy hissed with rage in his eyes. He attempted to sit up, wincing as he did so through the pain he felt._ "I don't know how much of a fight I can put up. I have at least three broken ribs, my right arm is broken, and my shoulder is dislocated. God, why can't he just leave!"_

Kurama stared at the boy in front of him. There was something familiar about him but Kurama just couldn't quite put his finger on it. He studied the boy's appearance. His hair was short with long bangs that framed his pale face. It was a silvery-white in color but that was common among many species of demons. At the moment, his face was drawn up in a snarl as he growled at the kitsune.

Kurama realized who the boy was as soon as he looked at his eyes. He was indeed Dru's child for the starburst pattern of his pupil indicated so, but the deep golden hue was the same of Yoko's, _his_. This boy was his son, but how was that possible? He thought back to the last moments with Dru before he went to the Human World. Dru had been pregnant! So there child had survived all these years.

"I promise, I would never harm you or your mother." The former thief said to the youth. "Come, we should leave."

"Why should I trust you?"

"You have no reason to ,but like I said, I promise not to hurt you. We need to hurry though. Dru could die from blood loss soon." After hearing this, the boy struggled to his knees. He was so weak, he felt as if he would pass out at any moment. "Are you alright?" a concerned Kurama asked. He knew it was a stupid question but he felt the need to ask anyway.

"I'll be fine…" the boy mumbled as he passed out. The redhead caught him in time before he hit the stone floor. He laid the boy down and paused. He couldn't possibly carry all three of them, he would have to wait for Yusuke and the others. Mentally he sought out said Spirit Detective.

_"Yusuke."_

_"Hey man, ya find her yet?" came the annoyed sound of Yusuke Urameshi's mental voice._

_"Yes but I need you or Kuwabara to come down here and help me. There are some children here and I can't carry all of them."_

_"Alright, be there in a sec."_

The mental link was dropped and Kurama sat down next to his son against the wall with Dru in his arms. She was beginning to shiver so he hugged her closer to his body. He peered down at her. She looked so angelic, even covered in blood and on the brink of death. How he had missed her over the seventeen-year span he had been in Human World. There wasn't a day that had gone by that he hadn't thought of her. He sighed. He had her back now and that was all that mattered at the moment.

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Dru moaned as she started to come to. Slowly she opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw. She was still in the cramped cell she was always kept in but she was not alone. She stared at the person holding her. He appeared to be human, and had long red hair and bright forest green eyes that glowed in the dim light from the torch next to him. There was something familiar about this human. He looked down at her once he noticed she was conscious. "I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"Kurama…" she mumbled unbelieving.

"I'm so sorry." He mumbled again, this time bringing his face to rest in the crook of her neck. "I should have been here. I should have protected you."

"Shh…" she soothed. "It's not your fault." She reached up with her right arm and hugged his head. Oh, how she'd missed him.

"I'm going to get you out of here. My friends are coming to carry the children."

"Kurama," she mumbled remembering, "You have to get the others."

"What do you mean?" he asked confused. There were no others.

"They're in _His_ room. _He_ came and took them last night. Please go get them…" she whispered as she lost consciousness again.

"I will, I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Pain of Sorrow

Dru slowly opened her eyes. It was dark and the night's breeze coming in through the open shojo door chilled her pale skin under the blanket. She attempted to sit up but thought better of it when the pain hit her. Unable to move, she surveyed her surroundings. She was in a small room with little furniture. There was a small table to her right with a lamp and the open door leading outside to what appeared to be a porch. To her left was another door, this one closed and leading to the unknown.

Not seeing her children, Dru felt for their energy. A few feet away in the room to the right of hers she could feel the two oldest, Taiki and Niiro, and to the one left, the youngest Shinta. Where were the twins Riku and Riko? Shouldn't they be here with them? She searched for their energy but it was nowhere to be found. A thought struck her, what if _He_ had killed them just like all the others? It was very likely. Her eyes started to mist over and a single tear slid down her right cheek.

There was a sound coming from the porch and she turned to face a tall redheaded human with bright green eyes. For a moment she wondered who this strange boy was until she recognized his energy. It was Kurama! She remembered now, waking up in his arms in that awful dungeon, how he promised to save her children. Hope filled her heart at that thought. Maybe he had saved them; maybe they were still alive, just not here.

"Kurama." She whispered. There was so much she wanted to ask but she barely had the strength to speak. Her throat was sore from screaming. He walked over and sat beside her mattress on the floor. He wouldn't look at her, not even when she tentatively grabbed his hand in her much smaller one. Now she knew something was wrong. "Kurama," she said again, "where are the twins? Something happened to them didn't it?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "When we found them they were already dead. There was no way to bring them back. We brought the bodies back though, just in case you wanted to see them." He looked up at her through his bangs to gauge her reaction. She laid there, her face turned away from him to hide the tears even though he knew she was crying. Her small form shook as she sobbed into her pillow. He sat on the bed and pulled her slender form towards him in an embrace. "I'm so sorry," he whispered again as tears misted his emerald eyes as well. "I'm so sorry. I should have been there; I should have protected you. This is all my fault!" He felt so guilty right now. If he had been there all those years then she wouldn't have lost her children and she wouldn't be crying right now. All of this was his fault!

"It's not your fault," she said between sobs. "It's not your fault."

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Dru and Kurama sat outside in the yard. In front of them lay the small forms of Dru's eight-year-old twin children under a blanket. She felt numb, two more of her children had died and there was nothing she could do about it. There was no miracle potion that could bring them back. What made it worse was the fact that she hadn't been there; she wasn't there in their last few minutes to comfort them like she had for her other children that _He_ had killed. They died alone and afraid.

'_I should have died to. I can't even protect my own children. I don't deserve to live.'_ Dru thought bitterly as she stared unblinking at the still forms of Riku and Riko, her babies. She even couldn't bring herself to pull the blanket back and look at them. What kind of mother was she?

"Dru?" Kurama asked, trying to bring her out of her thoughts. He was really worried about her. He'd expected her to be upset but he wasn't prepared for this. It was as if she had just given up hope of ever being happy again. When she didn't answer him, he grabbed her chin and turned her to face him. "Dru I know you're upset about your children dying and it's understandable but you can't stay this way forever. You have to move on."

"How can you say that! You know nothing of what I've gone through! You don't know what it feels like to watch your children suffer and die and know that it's all just to make you suffer in the end, that it's entirely _your_ fault! I've had to deal with that for seventeen years! Seventeen years! Don't you **dare** talk to me about moving on!" she yelled.

Suddenly, she no longer felt angry or hurt. It was like a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. But even though she no longer felt like killing everyone and everything that moved, she still felt a terrible loss in her heart. A loss caused by the knowledge that no matter how much she yelled or wished for it, Riko and Riku were gone and they weren't coming back. Overcome with emotion again, she began to cry for all she was worth.

Kurama just sat there and held her, whispering that everything was going to alright and rubbing calming circles on her back. It was good for her to let go and cry, it would help her to deal with the pain.

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Shinta poked his head around the corner. He had woken up in a strange room alone and became worried when he heard his mother screaming. He had found the last room she was in for her scent still clung to the sheets but she was nowhere in sight. He was about to leave and search in another room when he noticed the open door leading outside. Being the smart five-year-old he was, he decided to try the open door.

Once out on the porch he spotted his mother being hugged by a strange man with long red hair in a white shirt and blue pants. Quietly he approached, unsure whether it was safe or not. As he approached he began to make out the sounds of his mother sobbing and the strange man comforting her. Shinta began to wonder what would cause his mother to cry, until he noticed the covered forms of his brother and sister.

"Riko… Riku…" he mumbled as he fought back the tears. He couldn't cry, that would make him weak… he couldn't cry… Shinta broke down and sobbed for his dead siblings.

His mother looked up from her place crying on Kurama's shoulder. She watched as her youngest son, only five years old, as he cried his heart out for his brother and sister and wished that she could turn and look away as if this wasn't happening, but she knew that she couldn't. This really was happening and she was his mother, it was her job to look after and protect him. Now it was her job to do the comforting.

"Shinta…" she whispered to get his attention. When he finally looked up at her with his puffy red eyes that looked so much like hers, he stood up and ran into her open arms. She stroked his hair and murmured words of reassurance just as she had done so many times with him and his older sibling. He kept begging her to bring them back but all she could reply was that she couldn't and that they were gone for good. The whole time she was consoling her son, telling him that they were gone, her grief started to ebb away. They were gone like so many of her other children that that bastard had killed just to spite her but they were no longer suffering and that was what counted.

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Exhausted from crying and lack of sleep, Shinta drifted off in his mother's arms. Dru in turn was resting against her kitsune, content to just be with him after all these years of longing. A slight breeze blew a lock of his flame red hair into her face and she stared at it after she caught between two of her fingers. It was so different from his old form, that of a sleek silver fox, as deadly as he was beautiful. It was hard to believe that this human body housed that spirit.

Kurama chuckled slightly as he watched Dru study his hair. It was a vast contrast to the silver hair of his Youko form. Oh well, she would get used to it eventually. Upon hearing his laughter, Dru turned her head upwards to look at him. Emerald met ruby and they stared at each other for long minutes, lost in the others eyes like they used to do when they were alone in Makai.

After a while Kurama noticed that Dru's eyes were slightly glazed over and that she was leaning more heavily on him than before. "Are you alright?" he asked. When she didn't respond he asked, "When was the last time you fed?" Again she didn't answer and now he began to worry. If she hadn't fed in a while then she would go into a frenzy soon and drink from whoever she could get her fangs into.

Carefully, so as not to shake or disturb the sleeping boy in her lap, the fox in human form pulled back the sleeve to his shirt and brought his wrist up to her lips. When she did not respond, he used his own teeth to slightly break the skin just enough to draw blood. When he brought his wrist to her lips again, Dru suddenly grasped on to his arm and bit down hard, her fangs puncturing his soft flesh as she drank his blood.

He gave a soft gasp of pain until it ebbed away into pleasure. See, Dru was a Blood Demon, where the vampires of the NeginKai originated. There were some differences though. Unlike vampires Blood Demons were very much alive and could walk in the sunlight although they tended not to like it. Most live in cave deep in the forests and only came out at night, using the darkness as a cape to help capture their pray. The story of killing one with a stake to the heart was all a lie as was the one about sleeping in coffins. Blood Demons had excellent night vision as well as super speed, strength, agility, and the ability to fly. Their only true weakness was that they could only survive on blood because their stomachs could not handle solid foods.

Their most powerful ability, at least in Kurama's opinion, was the special enzyme they secreted in their saliva. If exposed to the flesh, it created a felling of intense pleasure and once exposed many would do anything to feel that way again. That was how Blood Demons acquired their Blood Dolls, creatures that allow themselves to be fed off of just to feel the pleasure of a Blood Demon bite. That was how Kurama and Dru had come to be together. One night he had coaxed her into his bed and afterwards she had fed off of him. He had let her stay with him at first just to feel that pleasure and have her as his lover but over time they had fallen in love and the bite no longer mattered.

Dru let go of Kurama's wrist once she had drank enough to satisfy her for now. She licked her lips to capture any last spots of blood she might have missed. She longed to continue drinking his sweet blood but knew not how much he could handle loosing. The wound was already closed; leaving only faint marks where her fangs had sank into his flesh. They would be gone within a day or two. Content for the first time in many years, Dru rested against Kurama again and closed her eyes, for once not dreaming of pain and torture.


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, first off I'd like to say thank you my friend Kaori and Silent Sage who reviewed my story! Go me! Someone actually read this. Anyways, I know it's been a while since I've

updated and I'm sorry but my holiday season sucked! I had to go to the hospital and my grandpa died but everything's cool now so enjoy! BTW, if you liked my other story then read it b/c I just updated it as well. Thanks!

Chapter 3: Remembering

The small dark room was filled with screams as tiny lungs were filled with air for the first time. Dru looked down at the tiny bundle between her legs. She had just given birth to her tenth child and at that moment, it was the most beautiful one she had ever seen. She reached down and pulled the child to her breast to let it eat its first meal. It quieted immediately and she simply watched it, enjoying the feeling she got from holding her child.

_Suddenly she realized that they weren't alone. There was a dark figure on the other side of the room, one who had watched her give birth just for this moment, just so he could revel in the feeling of ending it. The figure strode forward and reached for the newborn. Dru clung to it, pulling it closer as if somehow it would prevent the inevitable. A pale white hand wrapped around the child's head and pulled at it, trying to separate mother and offspring. She held on for a moment and then released her hold in fear of causing harm to the fragile life. _

_The baby began to cry anew as she was separated from her meal and her screams echoed throughout the tiny space. The grip around her head tightened and her screams intensified. "NO! Please don't do this! She's your daughter! Show some mercy, please!" Dru cried in a feudal attempt to save the infants life. _

_The figure of her capturer chuckled darkly and suddenly snapped the crying child's neck with a flick of his wrist. He tossed the body at Dru and left the room. She sat there unmoving for a moment, just staring at the small form lying on her side in front of her. "Mika…" she whispered, her Mika… Tentatively, she reached forward and brushed one small cheek. It was cold, already having lost life's warmth in the few seconds she had been dead. The now childless mother pulled the small form to her chest once again, and cried her heart out over the latest of her children to loose their life after only a few moments of it at the hands of their evil and merciless father._

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Dru sat up in bed, sweat dotting her brow. She held her head in her hands commanding the memories to disappear. Willing herself not to cry and to breath normally, she made to stand up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. To her surprise, it belonged to her eldest, Taiki. She was surprised to see him up and about but happy all the same. "You should be in bed." She said.

"Yes, but I'm here now and I don't plan on leaving so it doesn't really matter were I should be now does it?" His mother just smiled at him and scooted over on the mattress so he could sit with her. She smiled at him again when he sat but he could tell it was forced. He sighed, wishing she would just tell him what was wrong instead of pretending everything was fine. She had done this for as long as he could remember and while it may have worked when he was a child, it didn't have the same effect now. "Why wont you just tell me what's wrong? You don't have to try and hide it."

"I'm sorry, I'm just so used to having to keep it bottled up I guess. It's nothing really, just a bad dream is all." Again that smile! It was beginning to grate on his nerves.

"Mother, I'm not some stupid child. I know it's more than that. Why wont you just tell me these things. I can handle it," the teen pleaded with his mother.

"I was dreaming about Mika," she said in defeat, all hints of a smile fading.

"Why?"

"Because," she said, drawing in a breath to steady herself for the news she was about to unfold, "the twins… the twins are dead."

"I know," Taiki said after a few moments of silence. "Shinta told me and Niiro this morning." He had tried to grieve for his beloved siblings, but was used to loosing loved ones and instead of feeling angry or upset, all he felt was numbness.

They both sat in silence until there was a knock at the door. It slid open to reveal a tall human boy with short, slicked back black hair and big brown eyes. He looked uncertain for a moment but then said, "Um… we were wondering if you two would like something to eat?"

Dru turned to her son with a questioning look. He shook is head 'no'. "You and your brothers should eat." Taiki nodded and stood up, offering his good and unbroken arm to his mother. She accepted it and was hauled up. They both unsteadily followed the unknown boy down the hall and into a living area with two large couches and an unusual black box containing moving pictures and lots of sound. Shinta was currently seated in front of it, shoveling spoonfuls of some unknown food into his mouth while staring at the strange box. Next to him was a large human boy, much larger than the one they were currently following, with bright orange hair who was staring at it with equal enthusiasm. Every once in a while he would burst out laughing at something that happened on the screen.

Dru walked towards them and bent down behind her son, kissing the top of his head. "Good morning dear. What is this?" she asked indicating the glowing box.

"It's a T.V.," he mumbled between mouthfuls.

"Alright," she said and left her entranced child alone. Taiki and the strange boy were nowhere in sight but she heard Nirro's voice coming from another room and decided to follow it. The next room appeared to be a kitchen and it was filled with many different people whom she didn't recognize. One who she did recognize however was Kurama who was currently having a conversation with her two eldest. When she moved to go to them, a young girl with blue hair and pink eyes suddenly appeared from nowhere asking if she wanted anything to eat. "No thank you," she stammered, surprised by the girl's peppy attitude.

"Botan, leave her alone. Not everyone is as happy as you are this early in the morning," grumbled the boy she had met earlier.

"Well excuse me for being concerned for her health Yusuke!" yelled Botan as she swung the frying pan she had been cleaning at Yusuke's head and proceeded to chase him around the small room with it.

Dru rushed over to Kurama not knowing what was going on. He laughed at the spectacle before them and then laughed at the confused look his lover shot him. This was turning out to be a pretty good morning after all. Laughter broke out throughout the room as Botan succeeded in breaking the pan over Yusuke's head and even Dru could not help but the laugh as well. She would remember not to anger the girl in the future.

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Later that week… 

"Where are we going again?" Niiro asked from the backseat of the van. Everyone had packed up in this weird contraption early that morning and had been traveling for hours. He was cramped in his seat next to his brother and wanted to get out and walk. He also wanted to get away from Taishi who was purposely doing things to annoy him. No matter what they had gone through, they would always be brothers and therefore would annoy the crap out of each other.

"We're going to the mall." Kurama said from in front of him.

"What's that?"

"It's a building with lots of different stores inside where people shop. We need to get you and your mother some clothes and there's a bigger selection here than most places."

"How long until we get there?" Taishi asked. He was bored with annoying his younger sibling and wanted out just as bad.

"We're here!" Kuwabara shouted from the driver's seat. He looked over at his friend next to him and smirked. "Told ya I could drive good."

"Shut up!" Yusuke responded as he sulked in his seat. It pissed him off that Kuwabara could get his license but he couldn't and to top it off, Kuwabara was a better driver than he was.

Everyone got out of the van and stretched. It was a three-hour drive and with no breaks it seemed even longer. They waited ten minutes for Shizuru to pull her car into the parking spot next to theirs and then headed inside.

Dru and her children were a little intimidated by the large building. It was huge and crawling with more people than they had ever thought possible. Groups of humans walked this way and that, going about their business as if there were no other people there. The four of them stared wide-eyed at the sights all around them.

"Alright," Botan said in her usual happy voice, "We'll take Dru and get her shopping done. You three help the boys out." Everyone agreed and set off in opposite directions.

Botan, Keiko, and Shizuru pushed Dru into the first clothing store they could find. It was rather small but had nice clothing and reasonable prices. They ended up buying a total of eight pairs of pants (five jeans and three slacks), five t-shirts, two dress shirts, some underwear, a jacket, and a small purse. Everything was on sale that day so they had plenty left over to go to the shoe store.

There they bought a pair of tennis shoes, flip-flops, a slightly heeled boot, and some comfortable black slip-ons with no heel. Dru and the other girls walked out of the store carrying two bags apiece. Bored with little money left, they all decided to seek out the boys and get some lunch.

They all met at the food court, the men having been finished thirty minutes ago, and picked out a table to eat at. When everyone had their various foods, Dru's boys trying cheeseburgers and fries for the first time, everyone relaxed and talked about random things.

"Did you have fun today?" Dru asked her children. They all nodded and continued eating. She smiled and looked at Kurama. He smiled back. She was sooo happy right now.

"Kurama, what's that?" Shinta asked pointing at a store off to the right. There were lots of children playing with each other and these small objects he couldn't identify.

"That's a toy store. They sell toys for children there. Would you like to go?" Shinta nodded his head vigorously then grabbed Kurama's hand and proceeded to drag the startled kitsune with him to the store. Said kitsune turned to Dru with a pleading look in his eyes. '_Help me!_' he screamed mentally. Smiling at their antics, she rose and followed the two into the store.

Shinta let go of the scared teen's hand when something shiny caught his attention. He ran off after it, leaving the other two alone. Dru wrapped her arm around the redhead's and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked around the store in a vain attempt to find the excited five-year-old. "I could get used to this," she murmured.


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, really sorry about the update period but I've been having some more issues in my life. Gee, go figure. My boyfriend broke up with me and at first it was mutual because I had been planning on breaking up with him too, I was just waiting because I was trying to be considerate to his feelings. Therefore, I had to put up with him for a whole weekend at the beach while we went to see Disturbed in concert, which was totally awesome btw. Anyway, now I'm totally pissed b/c I feel he was already going out with his new girlfriend who he said he was going to ask out the next day, isn't that nice. I also think part of the reason he broke up with me was b/c I wouldn't sleep with him but you all probably didn't want/need to hear that. Well, again sorry about the wait. If this chap is a little short or just not as good as the other three then I'm sorry, again. I'll also try to update What the Future Holds soon for those of you who read and liked that one as well. All right, I know, I'll stop blabbering on about how much my life sucks right now. (Goes and hugs Sesshoumaru and Kurama plushies sniff tear)

P.S. When the boys call Dru 'Uma', it means mother in the Blood Demon language.

Chapter 4: Kidnapped

Everything was peaceful. Spring had gone and went with summer on its way. Birds sang from their perches high in the trees that surrounded the small temple. The children were safe and playing, Dru had been reunited with the love of her life, and she had friends now that cared about her. Dru was in heaven.

Blood and midnight hair met as Dru lay in Kurama's arms under one of the more shady trees surrounding the grounds. They were simply enjoying each other's company and watching the nature around them. They had spent the last two months like this, just being with each other. Hiei claimed that Dru was making the fox soft but had shut his mouth when Shizuru had walked into the room with a death glare that would cause even Toguro to shrink away. He hadn't said a word about it since.

A smile crossed Kurama's face as he remembered that day. The look on Hiei's face had been priceless! If only he'd had a camera… Dru looked up and noticed the smile. She didn't know what he was smiling about but for some reason, she just couldn't help but smile as well. When he looked down at her, his smile widened before he gave her a small kiss. They sat there smiling like fools for who knows how long before the comfortable silence they had been enjoying was interrupted.

"You little brat! Come back here!" came from inside the temple.

"Well, Niiro doesn't sound to happy," Kurama mused before a cackling five year old ran through the open doors and over to where the two lovers were relaxing.

"Uma, Niiro's chasing me!" he said once he'd reached his mother.

"Why is he chasing you?"

"I don't know," Shinta said with the most innocent expression he could muster, which was very innocent.

"You little brat, you keep her out of this!" Niiro yelled as he rushed out the door towards his brother. The younger noticed his brother had found him and took off running to the other side of the temple, again cackling like a madman all the way. "Hey, get back here!"

"What is with those two?" Dru wondered aloud as she watched the two of them chase each other around the yard. Well, so much for peace and quiet.

"Don't worry about them, Uma. Shinta is just enjoying Niiro's overreacting," came a new voice. The eldest of the children was leaning against the railing on the porch as he watched his siblings. There was a slight smile on his face, one that seemed to be appearing more frequently as he spent time with the father he had never known and had hated until now.

"Taiki dear, what happened?"

"Mr. Yusuke was teaching us to play one of those video games and Shinta kept beating Niiro. It was sad actually because Shinta was just pushing buttons, he didn't really know what he was doing."

"Really?" Dru said as she tried not to laugh at her son's expense. It was pretty funny but Niiro did have a tendency to overreact, especially about small things like that. "Niiro, leave your brother alone. Shinta, stop teasing your brother."

Both boys looked at their mother with surprised looks. It was a comic sight. Niiro was holding Shinta upside down by one leg and was about to punch the snickering five year old who was currently sticking his tongue out and blowing raspberries. "But…"

"Put him down Niiro."

The angry teen complied and sat his little brother down. He faced his mother with arms crossed and sulked. "He started it…" he mumbled.

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A sigh escaped Kurama's mouth as he lay in bed. Dru was cuddled up to him with her head resting on his shoulder. A small smile graced her lips as she slept in the circle of his arms.

Looking down on her peaceful face, he couldn't help the swelling of pride that ran through him. After all the years of torture and rape, she felt safe and comfortable enough to lay with him. It had only been two months since he had rescued her from that evil bastard Ryuji and the fox had thought it would be at least six months if not longer before Dru even thought about being with him in that way. She was strong though, and whether it was by her love for him or her sheer stubbornness, the six months he had expected to wait were reduced to two.

Again he sighed, this time in regret as he ran his fingers along her scarred back. He couldn't help thinking that he could have prevented those scars, no matter how many times she had told him otherwise. "It's not your fault," she would say and though he wanted to believe her, no matter how much she tried to convince him, he always blamed himself for what happened to her and the boys.

In his mind, it was his fault that they had been subject to Ryuji's sick and twisted ways. If the hunter hadn't found him then none of this would have happened and her children, no _their_ children, would have grown up with _two_ loving parents and had a good home.

It didn't matter now though. He couldn't change the past so he'd just have to live with his mistakes and try not to make any more. After kissing her forehead lightly and pulling the blanket up to cover her, Kurama closed his eyes and prepared to go to sleep. His eyes hadn't been closed for more than a second before they shot open again at the feel of an enormous aura.

Apparently Dru had sensed it as well for she was wrapping a robe around herself and heading for the door. He quickly pulled on his pajama pants and followed her out into the hallway. Lightning flashed brightly and thunder boomed loud enough to wake the dead. Yusuke and Kuwabara met them in the hall as lightning flashed again, this time blindingly so. "What the hell's goin' on?" Kuwabara yelled over a particularly loud crash of thunder.

"Ryuji," Dru said with a hint of terror in her voice.

"Don't worry," Yusuke said softly, "we won't let him hurt ya. I'm gonna kick his ass real good!"

A slight smile crossed her face but it didn't reach her eyes. She knew he was trying to help but she didn't think the human was strong enough to kill that _monster._

Suddenly, the doors at the end of the hall were thrown open and as another bolt of lightning flashed, a dark figure was illuminated. There in the doorway with a smirk firmly place on his lips was Ryuji. His long purple hair whipped about him in the wind along with his long black robe. His red eyes glowed in the dim light and Dru knew that he was out for blood.

"Why, hello my dear. Miss me?" he asked, his voice dripping with venom.

Kurama looked at his lover and could practically see the fear radiating off of her. She stared wide-eyed at the doorway as she clung to his arm like a lifeline. He wrapped his arms around her in hopes of comforting her some. She tore her eyes away from her torturer long enough to give him a grateful look but her trembling didn't stop; if anything it increased.

"Why the long face my dear? Aren't you happy to see me? After all the fun years we had together, you'd think you'd be happy to see me." His smirk widened as his eyes turned to Kurama.

"Well, well, so this is what the great Youko Kurama has been reduced to, taking up residence in a human body. I don't think you could get anymore pathetic."

A low growl resonated form the fox's throat but he didn't move, he refused to let his anger blind him. He would not foolishly attack Ryuji and leave Dru alone, to do so would be to commit her to death. That evil dragon could multiply himself into three different beings and if Kurama left her unprotected, one of Ryuji's other selves would surely go after her.

"So, you're the fucking bastard who hurt Dru and the kids, huh? Well, get ready 'cause I'm 'bout to kick your ass all the way to hell and back!" Yusuke said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Human, you couldn't harm me if you wanted to," the dragon said with an annoyed tone.

A smirk appeared on Yusuke's face. "Oh, really?" With that said, he rushed forward faster than any normal human could ever hope to move and struck out at his opponents face. Just before his fist connected with the smirking demon's face, it connected with a barrier whose force sent him flying backwards and into a wall. "Ow."

"Well, I'm surprised. Most humans couldn't hit with that much force. Maybe I should take you as well. You seem like you'd be a lot of _fun_ to play with." The word 'fun' was said with a malicious undertone.

Yusuke stood up and walked to stand next to Kurama and Dru. He popped his neck and rolled his shoulders. "'Kay, looks like I'll actually have to try this time."

"Yusuke, be careful. Ryuji isn't just some ordinary demon you can beat up. He's a very powerful dragon," Kurama said in warning to his friend.

"Dragon, huh? Well this is a first. Hmm, sounds like fun."

"You should listen to Kurama, Yusuke. Ryuji can control lightning at will and can split into three different beings. He's very dangerous," Dru said in worried tone. She turned her frightened red eyes on the Spirit Detective in apprehension. She didn't want him to fight Ryuji on his own but knew that it was unlikely that Kurama would leave her side.

As if to answer her prayers, the evil dragon jumped back in surprise as a quick flash of black and silver shot out in front of him. An instant later, Hiei was standing next to Yusuke with an angry look on his face. The glare he threw at the demon opposite him sent shivers down Dru's spine and made her very glad that the little fire demon was on her side, at least, that's what she hoped.

"You bastard! What the hell are you doing here?" Hiei growled out through clenched teeth.

"Ah, Hiei, so nice to see you again."

"Shut up!" Hiei shouted as his grip on his katana tightened. "Leave!"

"Oh so sorry, but you see, I can't leave yet. I have to retrieve my playmates first." A thoughtful smile played on the violet-haired demon's face as the looked at the angry fire demon in front of him. "Would you like to come be my playmate again Hiei? I remember how you used to enjoy it _oh_ _so_ much.

Hiei's growl became feral at those words and he jumped into the air and made to strike the dragon with his sword. As the sword came down upon his head, Ryuji suddenly vanished. Hiei landed and quickly turned, searching for the elusive dragon. He couldn't see the evil bastard but he knew exactly where he was when Shinta's terrified scream pierced the air. He rushed to the children's room with the others close behind.

Somehow Dru had managed to make it there before him and she stood wide-eyed in the doorway. The room was completely trashed with furniture broken and strewn about. Niiro lay on the floor clutching his bleeding side while Ryuji was holding both his brothers. Taiki hung limply by his neck in Ryuji's hand in blissful unconsciousness while Shinta was struggling for all he was worth. His tiny fangs and claws were sunk deeply into the dragon's flesh but they did no good.

"No!" Dru screamed. "Let them go! Take me if you want but let them go!"

"I don't think so. You'll be so much more fun to play with if I keep them. If you want them you know where to find me," he said with a smile as suddenly a bolt of lightning stuck him. The flash of light that emanated from it was blinding and when the light faded, everyone realized that the violet-haired demon was gone.

"No…" Dru whispered as she fell to her knees, eyes unfocused and tears streaming down her face.

Kurama knelt down next to her and held her tightly as she cried, staring at the last spot her two children had been. Sobs wracked her body as she unleashed her sorrow and all the while, everyone else just stood there unmoving, unsure of what to do. They had never been in a situation like that before and had no words of comfort to give.

Niiro groaned softly in pain and Dru was suddenly by his side. He grimaced as she pulled away the shredded remains of his shirt to check his wounds. There were four deep gouges in his side, all bleeding profusely. A small puddle of black blood formed underneath him as the wound continued to bleed. Unable to think of any way to stop her son from bleeding to death, the raven-haired demon lowered her face to her son's side and began to lick the wounds clean, putting out as much saliva as possible in hopes that it's healing ability would help. It did and ten minutes later, she pulled away to see that the wounds were now half closed.

Niiro gave her a grateful smile as he attempted to stand. When he stumbled, both Dru and Yusuke were by his side to support him as they led him to another room. Though it had been stopped in time, the lack of blood was taking its toll on the young blood demon. In seeing this, Dru pulled back her sleeve and placed her wrist in front of his mouth. He bit the skin and drank hungrily from her. A slight euphoric feeling overcame her as the enzymes in his saliva worked their magic and relieved her of the slight pain she had been feeling.

The others stood silently as they watched the scene. They knew that blood demons fed on blood but they had never seen any of them feed before. It was slightly shocking to the humans, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Genkai, and Shizuru who had never witnessed anything like it before. Both Hiei and Kurama were unfazed by the transaction though, having seen it many times before. An uneasy silence fell upon them and after several minutes, Kuwabara decided to break it.

"So… what do we do now?"

"We go get them back, stupid!" Yuske said as he hit his friend on the head.

"You mean we have to go back to that castle? I don't wanna go back there, that place was creepy!"

"Don't worry, we wont be going there again," Dru said quietly.

"What do ya mean? You tell'n me this guy's gut another hideout?" Yusuke asked.

"Yes, the Blood Kingdom, my home."

Alrighty, I know I said something earlier but I have a question or two. First, do you like Ryuji so far? I mean, I know he's the bad guy but bad guys can be cool to in their own sick and twisted little ways. FYI, I'm gonna kinda base his personality on Akabane from Get Backers. Yay, the voice in my head is in my story! Woo hoo! Second, I'm not to sure this story's gonna have a happy ending. I was thinking that someone(s) should die either soon or at the end. One of the kids is definitely dying and before you go and say that that's really mean and that they've been through enough suffering, I told ya'll before that this was gonna be kinda dark so deal. But seriously, review and let me know what you think. Kurama? Dru? One of the kids? Hell, even Hiei? Why, I don't know but tell me what you people want. Tankies!


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